Before You
by Aida15
Summary: Fred/Hermione. The story takes place in Harry, Hermione, and Ron's fifth year.The Weasley twins are hard at work on their new business. Fred keeps crossing paths with Hermione in ways that might make Ron a little jealous.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione feverishly ran a finger through her study guide for History of Magic. It had been another long night in the Gryffindor common room with final exams on their heels. Students lay sprawled out on the couches, chairs, even the floor fast asleep with bits of parchment or books on top of them. She cast a cautious glance at the old grandfather clock in the dimming light of the common room. Quarter past two. Hermione slumped against her workstation, realizing she had been studying for ten straight hours. Lavender Brown coughed and stirred in her sleep, causing Hermione to straighten up with a jerk. She blearily rubbed the sleep from her eyes and resolutely ploughed through her notes for a solid five minutes before collapsing on top of them again. After a few minutes, Hermione was once again awakened. She heard footsteps tip-toeing through the room and made out a tall lanky figure with a burst of red hair, which was visible even through the near darkness.

"Fred?" She whispered, her voice still hoarse from lack of use. The figure twitched towards her, almost as if it was unsure whether it had hear her or not, then continued walking. "Fred, it's me," She tried again, louder this time. She walked clumsily to where the figure was and tugged on his sleeve.

"Hermione," The figure turned and Hermione was greeted by Fred Weasley's kind, albeit tired, face "What are you still doing up?" He cast an amused look around the common room. "Still studying?"

"Exams are next week," Hermione supplied. "What are you doing here? If _she_ catches you, you're done for. I don't think she's forgotten about the giant firecracker dragon trying to swallow her."

"I won't get caught," Fred replied stoutly, but smirked at the memory. Fred shifted away from Hermione and towards a painting where Hermione knew there was a secret passageway.

"May I ask where you're going?" Hermione managed a disapproving glare, despite her extreme exhaustion. The effect must not have been very threatening because Fred bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"Nope," Fred replied casually. Catching Hermione's concerned expression, Fred rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I'll be fine. You're worse than my dear old mum, you are."

Hermione sighed, realizing that Fred, along with George, was as stubborn as she was and she had no hope dissuading them from whatever they were up to. Fred flashed her a crooked grin before disappearing behind the painting and silently shutting the entrance behind him. Hermione stumbled back to her original spot (almost stepping on Parvati Patil's face in her state of sleep deprivation) and fell asleep on the common room floor.

Morning came too quickly as usual and Hermione woke up to the sound of her classmates yawning and stretching as the headed towards their dormitories to get dressed. Hermione got up and stretched her sore limbs and hurried over to the girls' dormitory. She hastily slid on her uniform, brushed her teeth, and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Ron and Harry were waiting for her already and Harry scooted to his left so Hermione could sit with them.

"Merlin, Hermione, what happened to you?" Ron asked, taking in the dark circles under her eyes and her exhausted expression. Hermione sat down and moodily started to eat a scone.

"History of Magic," She replied sourly, looking up at Ron. Suddenly, she remembered. "_Ron!_ " She exclaimed. Ron jumped, wondering what he could have said this time. Casting a furtive look around her, Hermione continued in a lower tone, "I saw Fred in the common room yesterday." Ron looked mildly surprised.

"Really? Must've come down to nick some stuff for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," He replied conversationally.

"Isn't he worried about Umbridge?" Harry asked quietly, his left hand tightening into a fist.

"He didn't seem to be," Hermione murmured, watching Harry intently. Harry noticed this and immediately loosened his fist and put his hand under the table.

"That's the thing about Fred and George though, innit?" Ron said, stuffing his mouth with a fourth omelet. "Reckon they're not scared of anybody. Look what I found in one of George's pockets the other day," Ron fished in his own pocket and produced what looked like a decent sized piece of chocolate wrapped in gold foil. On the cover it said _U-No-Poo_ with a picture of Voldemort on a toilet with a comically strained expression. Harry choked on his pumpkin juice, laughing for the first time in months. Hermione put her head between her hands exasperatedly, but even she couldn't hide the small smile that fought its way onto her lips.

"It's brilliant," Harry wheezed, thumping his chest and still laughing.

"That's what I said. Mum reckons they'll be murdered in their beds. I mean, after all…" Ron raised his eyebrows meaningfully before hastily stowing away the candy. The Great Hall had suddenly gotten quiet upon the arrival of a short, toad-like woman with a pink bow in her hair. She smiled with saccharine sweetness at Harry, who looked like he would like nothing better than to rip that pink bow off of her head and shove it down her throat. Hermione sensed this and placed a half-comforting, half-restraining arm on his shoulder. After Umbridge had passed their table, Harry shrugged her arm off, all traces of merriment gone from his face.

"I'm going down to Charms," Harry muttered darkly, packing up his book bag and stuffing an extra muffin in the front pocket of his bag. He swung it over his shoulder, almost clipping a first year in the ear, and trudged down the hall with few Gryffindors. Hermione and Ron sat in agreeable silence; him wolfing down whatever he could lay his hands on and her studying as usual.

"'Mione, stop it. You're making me nervous," Ron complained, covering her notes with his large hand.

Hermione cupped her chin in her hand and looked bemused. "You haven't even started studying?" She smacked away his hand lightly and continued to underline key terms in her study guide.

"No," Ron admitted. "But just looking at you study is making me queasy."

Hermione raised an eyebrow with an icy expression. "Is that right?" She glared at him and Ron backpedaled.

"_Hermione_. I didn't mean _you_, just the studying," Ron added in an anxious tone. "You have nice—nice…" Ron looked as if he wished the ground would swallow him.

"'Nice' what?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. Her expression, while still stony, had softened a bit.

"…Skin?" Ron offered. Hermione took a deep breath, praying for patience. She decided to follow Harry's suit and study in an abandoned classroom.

"I'm glad you approve of my skin, Ronald," Hermione replied, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm going to go study. I suggest you do the same." With a slightly pinched expression and an air of haughtiness, Hermione walked out of the Great Hall, leaving a bewildered Ron Weasley. Hermione quickly found an abandoned classroom on the second floor and attempted to finish at least half a chapter of review.

"Still at it, I see." A voice came from behind a painting of a bowl of fruit, making Hermione jump. A freckled hand emerged, pushing the painting aside and Fred clumsily tripped his way out of another secret passageway.

"Are you stalking me?" Hermione asked irritably.

"Quite the contrary, my dear. George and I have used this classroom many times for much of our tomfoolery and shenanigans. In fact, I think you are sitting in the very spot the Fanged Frisbee was invented." Fred leaned against the wall and took a bite out of a peach, holding a bag full of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in the other hand. With a lazy flick of his arm, Fred made the classroom blend into the corridor. "Simple charm to keep me and George from being disturbed when we're in here," Fred explained. Hermione raised her eyebrows, but said nothing and continued to revise. Fred laughed at her determination. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Of course I have, just not in the important ways," Hermione replied a bit sharply, the events from this morning still fresh.

"Oh, touchy," Fred cringed exaggeratedly. Hermione glared at him and Fred sighed. "What did my idiot brother do this time?"

"It's not Ron," Hermione admitted. Fred made a face, which indicated that he didn't believe her for a second. Hermione put down her notes and spoke in earnest. "It really isn't. It's just… sometimes; I think all Ron sees is the bushy-haired eleven year old instead of who I am now. I thought things were going to change last year at the Yule Ball, but then there was Viktor. He just doesn't…" Hermione struggled for words, a rarity in and of itself. She glanced up at Fred taking another bite of his peach. "Never mind, just forget I said anything."

"Ron can be a bit of a prat," Fred conceded easily. "He'll come around, Hermione." Fred walked over to the seat next to Hermione and rubbed her back briefly. "If not, I'm sure there are plenty of blokes lucky to have you. You'd give Cho Chang a run for her money." Fred grinned at her while rubbing the back of his head so his hair stuck up. Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep a small smile from escaping her lips.

"Thanks, but I doubt it."

"Oh, come on. You know you're gorgeous," Fred replied casually, finishing his peach with one last bite.

Hermione looked up from her notes, surprised at his compliment. She had never considered Fred and her to be friends, and was surprised by his candidness. "You really think so?" She asked, scrutinizing him for any sign that he was making fun of her.

"Of course," Fred replied, tossing the peach pit into the garbage can.

"Thanks," Hermione said again, blushing. "Have you hidden another one of your punching telescopes in my book bag?" She asked, suddenly suspicious. "All this out-of-character sincerity looks a bit shifty."

"I resent that!" Fred replied, as he pretended to be offended.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Hermione reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," Fred laughed with a reminiscent gleam in his eye. "Good summer." Hermione hit him with her parchment.

"Not funny. Not even your mum could get out that black eye!"

"No one asked you to squeeze that telescope."

"I thought it was real!"

"Well, you should have known the hazards of stepping into the Burrow and picking up things that you weren't one hundred percent positive were Weasley Wizarding Wheezes."

"Am I interrupting?" George climbed through the passageway and dumped an even larger bag of what looked like prototypes for even more trick props. "Hey, Hermione."

Shooting a supremely smug Fred an irritated look, Hermione replied, "Hi, George. How've you been?"

"Been all right, I suppose. Mum's still being a bit unpleasant about…well, Fred and I dropping out and starting a joke shop. Dad understands, though. He hates Umbridge as much as the rest of us. I overheard him talking to Kingsley about our firecracker dragon," George said, walking over to Fred and Hermione. He smacked the back of Fred's head before sitting down.

"Ouch!" Fred exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot. "What was that for?"

"No flirting with Granger," George responded, grinning sardonically at the blush that crept up Hermione's neck.

"We weren't –"

"It's all right, Hermione. He was just being a git," Fred interjected, scowling at his twin. George smacked him a second time. "What the _hell_, George?"

"That was for leaving your knickers on the bathroom floor. No one wants to see that, mate. It's bloody disgusting."

"Oh _please_. Who leaves their dirty clothes hanging on the shower rod everyday?"

"That's different."

"How is that different?"

"I don't leave my knickers on the bathroom floor."

"I should go," Hermione announced abruptly, trying to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "I really need to study for this exam and …"

"Twins bickering isn't conducive to a good studying environment. Got it," George nodded, dodging Fred trying to smack him back. "We'll see you around, Hermione. Maybe Fred, more so than me. He'll be around the castle every now and again."

Fred leaned back in his chair to look at Hermione and added, "Don't worry about Ron. I can have a nice, long brotherly chat with him."  
"Oh no, that's all right," Hermione replied hastily. She mentally pictured Ron's mortified expression after that talk. "I'll see you around." Hermione picked up her book bag, gave the twins a quick wave over her shoulder and disappeared from the classroom. After the door closed, George wiggled his eyebrows at Fred and gazed meaningfully at the door.

"I was not flirting with Hermione," Fred intoned.

"The lady doth protest too much," George quoted and took out a list of products from his bag. His eyes watered as Fred's hand came in contact with the back of his head.

"That's for calling me a lady."


	2. Chapter 2

The Great Hall was unusually quiet on the first day of final examinations. Many students were silently practicing spells under the table. Many of the students in Umbridge's class hadn't bothered to practice for their exams, relying on their knowledge from D.A. meetings and the textbook. Ron had barely been able to get through the first ten pages without nodding off.

"It's rubbish," He said, biting off a piece of toast viciously. "How does she expect us to do well on an exam that she hasn't prepared us for?" He glared at his piece of bread, slathered more jam on the surface, and took another particularly fierce bite.

"You'll do fine, Ron," Harry reassured him for the umpteenth time. "You've been doing really well in the – in class," Harry hastily amended as he saw Umbridge sidle dangerously close to our table. He was sure the Umbridge knew about the D.A., but knew she couldn't act without any solid proof. Ron shrugged nervously, finally setting down his piece of toast.

"Our match against Ravenclaw and finals in the same week? Who's the genius behind that?" Ron muttered darkly. He suddenly straightened up as he saw the familiar bush of brown hair bobbing towards him and Harry. "Hermione, listen, I'm really sorry –"

"Forget it, Ron. I overreacted," Hermione replied, taking her usual place beside him. She smiled at him. Ron's face broke into a wide grin and he finished off his breakfast with an extra amount of vigor.

"What happened?" Harry asked warily, looking between Ron and Hermione.

"It's nothing, just a misunderstanding," Hermione replied, waving of his question. Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. Apparently his best friends had matured overnight. "Ron, you need to tell Fred and George to be more careful," Hermione said in a low voice. "They're being really careless about roaming around in the castle."

"What and have them take the mickey out on me? I'll pass, thanks."

Hermione looked miffed. "What if something happens to them?"

"Fred and George can take care of themselves. I'm sure they'll be fine," Ron countered reasonably. "By the by, how do you keep bumping into them? I haven't seen either of them and they're my brothers." Hermione shrugged, taking a bite out of an apple.

"I was studying where they come up with a lot of their products yesterday. I ran into Fred and George there," Hermione explained.

"How is that going?" Harry asked, leaning over to speak to Hermione.

"Good, I suppose. I didn't really ask them about it," She admitted.

Ron eyes narrowed. "What did you talk about, then?" Harry aimed a kick at Ron under the table, but clipped Seamus across from him instead. This earned Harry a dirty look and he quickly apologized.

Hermione blushed. "Nothing, just exams."

"Hmmm." Ron did not look convinced. "I just wasn't under the impression that you were friends."

"I wasn't either, at first," Hermione replied. "They're your _brothers_, Ron. I don't see why it bothers you so much. I've spent plenty of time with them around the Burrow." Ron mumbled something incoherently and dropped the subject. Harry rolled his eyes. He suspected he knew the reason behind Ron's disgruntlement.

"What exam do you have first, 'Mione?" Harry asked, trying to steer the conversation into safer waters.

"Runes," Hermione responded grimly. "I'm going to fail, I just know it."

"Oh, come off it. You'll be top of the class like last year," Ron reassured her, breaking his sullen mood. Harry nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Thanks," Hermione beamed at them. "I hope you're right. Runes are tricky…" Hermione's voice petered out. She seemed to be lost in thought, no doubt doing some last minute translations in her mind.

"Ron and I have Charms, we can go together," Harry offered. Hermione nodded absently. Glancing at the clock, Hermione jumped.

"We only have five minutes to get to class!" She exclaimed, popping a small muffin in her mouth and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Hermione, you need to relax," Ron drawled, lightly resting his arm around her shoulders. "We have time, it's just one stairway away from here."

"The _changing_ stairway?"

Ron's face fell slightly. "Damn."

Harry chuckled, slinging his own bag over his shoulders. "Well, come on then." Ron groaned, wearily slinging his own book bag over his shoulders. The three of them trudged towards their examinations.

oOoOoOo

"That was worse than Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex," Ron exclaimed, slamming his bag on the deserted common room's coffee table. "I never though Flitwick would be the teacher that enjoyed torturing students."

"It wasn't that bad," Harry said to Hermione.

"It was!" Ron insisted. "No wonder Seamus is sneaking in some Firewhisky tonight."

"He's doing _what_?"

"I won't drink any, Hermione, I promise."

"You'd better not. If you think today was bad, tomorrow will be worse if you drink any of that stuff tonight."

"Speaking from experience, are we?" Harry asked, smirking at Hermione's mortified expression.

"Of course not!" She replied indignantly. "It's common knowledge. Besides, if you get drunk off of Firewhisky, there is no way I'm helping you study for the Potions exam tomorrow."

"I only heard 'Hermione' and 'Firewhisky'," Came a familiar voice. The three of them turned and found Fred leaning against the wall. "If you're going to pick up a drinking habit, Hermione, fifth year exams are the time to do it," He added, grinning broadly.

"Yes, I, Hermione Jean Granger, have decided to blow off studying for finals and go out drinking the night before the exam," Hermione replied sarcastically. "I am the master of good life decisions."

"Ah, the annual smuggling of the Firewhisky. Started by George and yours truly."

Ron's mouth fell open. "_You_ started that?"

"Of course," Fred replied smugly, plopping himself in an armchair and stretching his long legs out on the coffee table. Ron looked impressed in spite of himself.

"It's good to see you, Fred," Harry chimed in. "Hermione tells us that the two of you have been crossing paths lately."

"It's true," Fred replied, his eyes flickered from Hermione to Ron. The two of them seemed to have patched things up. His advice seemed to have paid off. "I hear that there's a Quidditch match coming?" He asked.

"Against Ravenclaw," Ron elaborated. His face paled slightly. "I had forgotten about it."

"Ron, you're a good Keeper. You just need some…confidence," Harry said tactfully. That last thing he wanted was for Ron to lose his nerve before the match. Fred nodded sagely. The three of them started to talk strategy, leaving Hermione to flip open her Potions textbook and study quietly. Fred found himself looking at her once in a while, her bushy hair obscuring her face. Her small hands turned the pages quickly and her nose was close to pages that he was surprised that she didn't dive into the textbook headfirst. It seemed that she genuinely was interested in the subject matter – he couldn't picture a Hermione Granger that detested any subject. It was no surprise that she was top of her class. Suddenly impatient with her hair in front face, Hermione twisted a piece of it back with a clip. Fred felt his stomach jump into his throat as her face was revealed. She really was beautiful.

"...even Corner's not stupid enough to fall for that, right Fred?" Ron's voice dragged him back into the conversation.

"W-what?" Fred asked, distracted.

"Weren't you listening?" Ron asked, slightly irritated.

"It's ok, Ron. Corner wouldn't fall for that, you're right," Harry said hastily, catching Fred's eye. Fred shot him a grateful look.

"Michael Corner's not stupid, he's in Ravenclaw," Hermione said quietly, still immersed in her textbook.

"True," Ron said hesitantly. "Still, he dated my sister. I'm allowed to think of him as a git."

"You realize that Ginny's dated half of her year?" Fred asked, raising his brow sardonically.

Ron made an unpleasant face. "I'd rather keep talking about the match than Ginny's love life."

"Fair enough," Fred conceded. They resumed their previous conversation with gusto. Fred's gaze flickered back to Hermione a last time and found her staring back. She turned a faint pink and quickly turned back to her Potions textbook.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Expelliarmus!_"

Harry ducked is as his own wand flew out of hand and into Neville's grasp. Neville was so surprised, that he promptly dropped his own wand. Harry grinned broadly and gave him a thumbs up from across the room as a small cluster of Gryffindors circled around Neville, patting him on the pack and congratulating him. Harry hadn't expected students to want to continue their D.A. meeting during their exams, but he was pleasantly surprised when Luna cornered him and told him that all the students wanted to keep practicing. He looked around the Room of Requirement and felt a swell of pride. This group of people was virtually unrecognizable from their first day together. They had improved so much in such a short period of time. Hermione, who was already brilliant, picked up things so quickly to scared Harry a bit. From time to time, he had asked her to help him out with the other students. He found that splitting up the responsibilities made life much easier, especially during exams week.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" cried Cho, a graceful swan erupting out of wand and soaring around the room. Harry glanced over at her and felt his stomach swoop. Swallowing hard, he refocused his energies on the other students, who had their Patronuses gamboling around the room, infusing it with light and joy.

"Seamus, put it _out_," Came Dean's exasperated voice, who was trying to stomp out the flames that Seamus had accidentally set to his own robes.

"_Aguamenti_," Hermione intervened calmly, sending a jet of water and extinguishing the flames.

"Brilliant," Came a Weasley's voice. Harry turned and saw Fred walking over to Hermione and grinning. Harry shook his head, knowing that Fred could produce an equally good _Aguamenti_ charm and he was probably taking a leaf out of _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways To Charm Witches_.

"Thanks," Hermione replied a little confused, but smiling nonetheless. Harry was sure the same thought had crossed her mind about Fred.

"Say, Seamus," Fred leaned around Hermione, "If you want to make a quick Galleon, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes could use some of your pyrotechnical services."

"Yeah, definitely!" Seamus replied, grinning broadly. He lifted a soot-covered hand to shake with Fred. Making sure to walk a few feet from Fred and Hermione, Seamus and Dean continued to practice their Shield Charms.

"You won't regret it," Fred assured him, shaking his hand. Harry looked at Hermione and saw a familiar pinched expression, but no reprimand came from her lips. Fred seemed to realize this too. "What, no 'It's bad enough that you and George are sneaking around that castle without involving other students in your _nefarious_ ways'?" Fred teased. He put his arms against the wall, which Hermione was resting against, leaning down to see her face better. Harry knew that stance. It was something that could be played off as friendly, but Harry suspected something a bit more as he watched Fred. Harry felt a surge of protectiveness towards Hermione, but quickly fought it down. He knew that Hermione was more than capable of taking care of herself. Harry quickly scanned the room from any immediate appearances of Ron, who was immersed in practicing a Stunning Spell on a dummy. Suddenly, Harry felt a jinx go right behind his neck. Spinning around, he caught Ginny with an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry, Harry. I was aiming for George," She confided, jerking her head to the right. George was in an identical stance as Fred, leaning over Katie Bell, who didn't seem too miffed that he was there, judging from the blush now covering her face. Did final exams somehow charge the air with sexual tension? Harry shook his head and laughed.

"Well, it's to be expected, I suppose," Harry said. "Those two have been skirting around each other for years."

"You mean, like you and Cho?" Ginny asked astutely, a cat-like grin gracing her features.

"How-how do you -?"

"Oh, come _on_, Harry. Everyone knows," Ginny replied, rolling her eyes. Ginny turned from him and sent another covert jinx at the back of George's head, missing by inches. "I'm just trying to make a fat, nasty zit appear on the back of his neck, is that too much to ask for?" Ginny growled at her wand, trying again. George paused momentarily from his conversation. Apparently, he had felt the jinx whizz by.

"Oi! Cut it out," He shouted at Ginny. She smirked and gracefully walked away, pairing herself off with Luna. The two girls took turns Summoning things around the room to fly at them.

"Harry?"

Harry turned and came face to face with Cho. Swallowing thickly, he replied, "Yes?"

"Do you think you could help me? I can't seem to get the hang of this Stunning Spell."

Harry was sure his face was red, but he prayed that Cho wouldn't notice. "Sure, of course. It's quite simple, really…" Harry lead her to the dummies, guiding her by pressing his palm against her back. "You just have to really concentrate on a specific point," He added, dropping his hand to his side. He demonstrated once for her. The dummy fell to the floor. "Why don't you try?" He offered kindly.

Cho took a deep breath before shouting, "_Stupefy!_" A jet of red light bounced of a light bulb and flew by Ron's ear.

"Watch it!" Ron shouted, still practicing on his dummy. On his final try, the dummy thudded to the ground. "Yes!" He cried, punching the air with his fist. He did a little victory dance and joined Ginny and Luna. Harry looked up and saw Fred stop talking to Hermione for a moment, looking at his younger brother and clearly thinking of ways to mock his dance. Shaking with laughter, Fred turned back to Hermione. The expression on her face made it clear she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Oh, stop it," She sighed, smacking the side of his arm. Wriggling away from, Fred, Hermione joined Ron and the others. Harry looked back at Fred, who shot an irritated glance at Ron.

"Harry?" Cho's voice brought him back to the present. "Are you all right?" She followed his gaze, which landed on Hermione. Cho narrowed her eyes.

"I'm fine," Harry insisted. "Let's keep practicing."

oOoOoOo

"…in your _nefarious_ ways'?" Fred's eyes were twinkling.

Hermione sniffed at his imitation of her. "I do _not_ sound like that." Fred laughed and Hermione stiffened for a second, not realizing how close he was to her. She scoped out the room for Ron. Thankfully he was practicing Stunning a dummy, otherwise she knew she wouldn't have heard the end of this.

"You do, it's ok. It's endearing once you've heard it a hundred it times."

"If you're recruiting more students to make another Umbridge-eating firecracker, I wouldn't call it 'nefarious' at all," Hermione replied defiantly. "She's vile."

"I'm pretty sure the entire student body would agree," Fred paused. "Maybe not the Slytherins."

Hermione nodded her head. "You've heard about the Inquisatorial Squad?"

Fred grimaced. "One of the other reasons George and I are thankful to be out of here."

Hermione frowned. "Don't you miss it?"

"Miss being in school with that old witch? Not a chance."

"I meant Hogwarts." Hermione thought she caught a flicker of sadness in Fred's expression, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"I wouldn't be coming back if I didn't miss it, would I?" He asked quietly. Hermione's eyes filled with compassion and Fred had the overwhelming urge to tuck away a few stray curls from her face. He unconsciously moved closer to her. Hermione raised her eyebrows, watching his eyes darken for reasons unknown to her. Catching her expression, Fred moved back to his original position and coughed.

"I would miss it too," She admitted. "I don't know what it would be like if I couldn't come back."

"It's not so bad," Fred replied. "Living with Mum is driving us a bit crazy, so George and I are looking for a flat somewhere in Diagon Alley."

"That sounds nice."

"It's not," Fred grimaced. "It's a good thing George and I have such keen powers of deduction or we would have been taken for a ride a few times."

Hermione laughed. "I wouldn't give all the credit to your powers of deduction. The seller could have been a troll."

"You wound me," Fred replied mock solemnly. "How could you doubt my reasoning abilities?"

"Maybe because I happen to be much better at it _and _I'm two years younger than you," Hermione replied sweetly, crossing her arms.

"But my extra two years have made me much wiser," Fred put on an impression of an old warlock. Hermione laughed so hard she snorted. Breaking his impression and grinning, Fred added, "I'd like to see you try to get a flat without George and me."

"I'll do it and I'll get a better flat." Hermione smirked at him.

"Fine, keep deluding yourself," Fred shook his head, pretending to be resigned. "You have no hope."

"Speaking of George, where is he?" Hermione asked, leaning around Fred to get a better view of the room.

"Am I not good enough for you?" Fred asked, looking down and feigning sadness.

"You know you are," Hermione replied, surprisingly serious. Fred slowly looked up at her, trying to hide the hope he felt from his face. Hermione blushed and awkwardly added, "I meant, you've been a good friend." She paused, gauging his reaction. He didn't seem to completely believe her and she kicked herself mentally. "I was just curious if George came."

"Yeah, I think he's chatting up Katie," Fred replied after a pause. Hermione and Fred turned to look and saw George leaning over a giggling Kate Bell. "About damn time, if you ask me." Fred's gaze flickered back to Hermione, feeling as if he had said too much. Hermione met his enigmatic gaze with a smile, which faltered slightly as she recognized his expression from earlier in their conversation. Consciously this time, he brought his face closer to Hermione. Hermione felt her heart thud in her ribcage as she felt his breath on her face.

"So, George and Katie then?" Hermione asked huskily, intensely aware of Fred's proximity.

"Yeah," Fred replied absently, inching closer.

"Watch it!" Ron's voice echoed over the din. Hermione and Fred jumped apart and saw a Stunning Spell fly past Ron's ear. Fred grimaced dramatically.

"Close one," He commented, clearing his throat. Ron finally succeeded in Stunning his dummy. Fred watched, amused, as Ron punched the air and did his victory dance. "I am never going to let him live that dance down," Fred said, shaking with laughter. He turned back to Hermione who had a familiar exasperated look on her face.

"Oh, stop it," She sighed, smacking him on the arm. "I'm going to go practice Summoning spells with him," She added, wriggling away from him and towards Ginny, Luna, and Ron. Fred leaned against the wall, wishing Ron could have held in his exclamation for ten seconds longer.


	4. Chapter 4

Fred Weasley flopped onto his bed in the Burrow. Rolling onto his stomach, he buried his face in his pillow. His almost-kiss with Hermione was burned into his memory. He kept rewinding those precious few seconds back in his mind, wondering what would have happened if Ron had just kept quiet for a few more seconds. Fred could tell that Hermione remembered that moment just as well as he did – every time they ran into each other around the castle, she maintained a polite distance from him, making sure they were never alone for too long. Not knowing what else to do, Fred reciprocated these actions. He didn't want to push Hermione into deciding anything. For all he knew, she still had feelings for Ron and their moment in the Room of Requirement had been a fluke. Hermione _was_ younger than him, but Fred knew for a fact that fifteen year olds had hormones. He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He was getting bloody tired of thinking about Hermione all the time. It was getting to the point where George asking pointed questions about Hermione when they were eating dinner with Mrs. Weasley. Luckily, she had been so irritated with them about starting their joke shop that she missed the innuendos George had launched his way. Fred had lobbed a few jibes about Katie Bell at George, but this had hardly seemed to faze him. Instead, an infuriating grin spread across George's face every time Fred mentioned Katie, which made Fred less keen on mentioning her.

"Brooding about Granger as usual?" George asked as he walked into their bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"I wasn't –"

"Fred, I'm not an idiot. I know what you're like when you fancy a girl. I'm surprised the quiet, sullen phase has gone on for so long. I think Hermione has a good week on Angelina."

"Ron's the sullen one," Fred reminded his twin, turning to face George. George paused for a moment and nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right, Ron's is more sullen than you are," George conceded.

"I'm not sullen! We're the unflappable pranksters of the wizarding world, I can't be sullen," Fred protested, throwing a pillow at George's head.

"Well then," George said, catching the pillow and tucking it under his head. Fred scowled. "You need to get out of this funk and make your move."

"It's not that simple," Fred sighed, "She's been pining after ickle Ronniekins for five years now."

"Fred, you can be really thick," George laughed. "Was I the only one who saw you two in the Room of Requirement? Or have you somehow lost all memory of what happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"If she still had feelings for Ron, do you think she would have let you kiss her…almost?" George amended.

"Ron might try and murder me if I made a move on Hermione," Fred casually remarked.

"Ron has had five years to admit his feelings for Hermione, and by the pace he's going, I'd say he won't do it until absolutely necessary. Besides, since when has upsetting Ron ever bothered you?"

"True," Fred agreed, stretching out on his bed. In spite of himself Fred asked, "How are things with Katie?" He saw the familiar grin spread across George's face.

"Rather well, actually," George replied. "Very well."

Fred mirrored his grin. "Do tell."

oOoOo

"Did you see where Harry got off to after the meeting?" Ron asked, blearily rubbing his eyes and trying to focus on the text swaying before his eyes. He unconsciously fiddled with the gauze on his right ear. The Stunning Spell that Cho cast a few days ago had actually grazed his ear and left a decent burn.

"N-n-no," Hermione replied, stifling a yawn behind her hand. "He was with Cho last I saw." She wearily struck out some of her sentences in her term paper and corrected them with her wand.

"I can't believe we actually have an exam in Divinations," Ron muttered, reading the same page for the third time. Hermione made a sympathetic sound behind her paper and nodded.

"At least we have the D.A. All of us would have failed the practical section if it wasn't for Harry," Hermione remarked.

"Speaking of, did you see George and Katie?" Ron smirked. "I was wondering when George was going to man up and finally ask her out."

Hermione looked at Ron at little uncomfortably. The memory of their row at the Yule Ball still stung a bit and she couldn't help but remember that Ron hadn't "man"-ed up and asked her to the dance before Viktor. Her mind flashed to another Weasley and she hastily pulled herself back into the present. "Good for them," She replied absently.

"It's about damn time George got going with her," Ron added emphatically, reminding Hermione of Fred once again. Ron shifted a little closer to Hermione as he rearranged the configuration of his notes and textbooks next to her. Hermione flashed back to Fred, his tall frame leaning over her, his face inches from hers –

"This doesn't look right," Ron muttered, turning a chart around in his hands. "That can't be Saturn…"

"You're holding it upside down, Ronald," Hermione sighed, flipping the chart to its correct position. Ron brought his head to the table. Lifting it back up, he began correcting his observations on his piece of parchment with a stony expression. Hermione had an odd look on her face before she said, "Oh, give it here. I've finished studying anyway." Ron handed over his piece of parchment to Hermione who began correcting his work quickly.

"Thanks, Hermione," Ron said weakly. He leaned back to rest his head on the sofa for a few moments before getting back to work. He looked back at Hermione correcting his work and his mouth twitched as though he wanted to say something. Hermione caught him looking at her and she look back with an amused, albeit puzzled, expression.

"Are you having separation anxiety from your homework?" She asked sarcastically.

Ron looked at her for another long moment, his expression unfathomable. Clearing his throat, he said, "No, no. Of course not." Hermione tilted her head at him, confused at his sudden seriousness. "Hermione, listen –". Harry burst into the common room with a dazed expression on his face, interrupting whatever Ron was about to say. Ron looked up, alarmed. "What happened to _you_?"

"What? Nothing," Harry replied unconvincingly, unable to keep a grin from his face.

Hermione smiled knowingly. "You did it then?"

Ron's eyebrows disappeared under his red hair. "_Did_ it? Did what?"

Harry said nothing and sat down, still grinning.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron. "Harry kissed Cho."

Ron's mouth fell to the floor. "Really?" He grinned broadly at his friend. "So, how was it?"

Harry thought about this for a moment. "Wet," He answered honestly. "She was sort of crying."

Ron snorted. "You'd reckon a bit of snogging would cheer her up."

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Cho's sad because she misses Cedric and confused because she likes Harry, and honestly, she's a bit of an emotional basket case."

Ron shrugged. "I stand by what I said earlier." Harry laughed to the pair of them, still feeling as though his insides has evaporated in a very, very good way.

"Here," Hermione handed Ron this Divination homework. "Maybe now you can get some sleep. The Quidditch match is tomorrow morning."

"You're a lifesaver, you are," Ron said, taking his homework from her. Hermione smiled tiredly at him. "Let's go, Harry. It's almost one." Harry got off the sofa and joined Ron in trudging up the steps to their rooms. As they dumped their belongings next their beds, Harry sensed Ron was restless.

"You all right?" Harry asked, crawling under his comforter.

"Just worried about the Quidditch match," Ron lied unconvincingly.

"You seem a bit – never mind." Harry decided not to push the matter further as Ron crawled into his own bed.

"Good night, Harry."

"Night, Ron." The lights switched off and the pair of them fell into a deep sleep.

Morning came too quickly as usual. Their alarm rang noisily, jumped up and down and quickly scuttled away when Harry tried to press the snooze button. The two of them dressed in silence, slightly irritable from sleep deprivation. Harry pulled on a sweater with red and gold stripes. He felt hollow, realizing that he would probably never play Quidditch again after Umbridge's life-long ban. Harry pulled on his robes and waited as Ron finished putting on his uniform. Ron and Harry made their way to the Great Hall, found Hermione and sat down. Ron eyed the food on the table warily, as if he were unsure he would be able to keep it down before the match.

"You need to eat," Harry said firmly, handing Ron a blueberry muffin. Ron took it and nibbled on it. Hermione's eyebrows rose in alarm.

"Harry's right, Ron. You don't want to pass out on your broom," She said. "At least drink some pumpkin juice." Ron grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice and swigged it down. He immediately seemed to feel better. "You'll be great, Ron," She reassured him. Ron merely nodded. He seemed to be temporarily incapable of speech.

"Come on, Ron. We've got to be at the pitch in ten minutes," Angelina walked by and tapped Ron on the shoulder, gesturing him to follow her. Ron got up shakily and walked behind her, casting a rueful glance at his half-eaten blueberry muffin. Harry and Hermione quickly made their way over to the Quidditch pitch and got decent seats before the rest of the crowd made their way in. Soon enough, hordes of students were rambunctiously entering the stands, showing off their decorations and sporting their House colors.

"Hey, Luna," Harry greeted the blonde girl as she sat next to him. The lion on her Gryffindor hat roared thunderously.

"Hello, Harry," She said dreamily. "It's a shame you're not playing today. It's beautiful outside."

Harry felt another pang in his stomach, but he quickly replied, "It is."

"Well, you'll be playing soon enough, won't you?"

"No, I've got a life long ban, Luna."

"You've got a life long ban while _she_'s still here," Hermione chimed in. This brightened Harry's spirits and he enjoyed the crisp spring air. It really was a beautiful day to be playing Quidditch.

"Move over, coming through," Came the loud voices of the Weasley twins, squeezing their ways past a couple of first years. Harry turned and grinned. The match would be bearable with Fred and George. They were banned as well. "Budge up!" Fred and George joined them in the stands.

"Are you _insane_?" Hermione hissed at them. "You can't be here."

"Relax, Hermione. There are too many students here. She won't see us. We're allowed to come see a Quidditch game," George replied, patting her on the back. George squeezed in between Luna and Harry while Fred took the seat next to Hermione. Harry cocked his head at the pair of them and noticed a weird tension between them. He hastily turned away to have a conversation with George.

"So, how do you reckon Ron will do?" George asked warily, munching on a Chocolate Frog.

"I dunno," Harry replied, "I've been watching him practice with Ginny and he seems to be getting better."

"Well, he _would_ be if it was just the two of you. The real problem is him being nervous around all these people," George grimaced. "He better not cost us the House Cup." Harry merely nodded, unwilling to admit that that very thought had been skittering across his mind all week.

Hermione sat with her hands folded in her lap, casting furtive glances at Fred every now and then. Fred pretended not to notice the nervousness emanating from Hermione and tried to focus on the Quidditch match. Angelina threw the Quaffle through one of the rings, barely missing Marcus Flint's head. He stood up and cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors. Settling back into his seat, he sat quietly for a few moments before he decided he couldn't take the awkwardness anymore. Glancing around him before speaking, he turned to Hermione and said in a low voice, "Look, I'm sorry if I made things…uncomfortable between us. I didn't mean to."

Hermione looked at him for the first time the morning and she bit her lip. Fred's swallowed hard, forcing himself to focus on her response. "No, it's ok. I shouldn't have – I just feel weird because of Ron."

"Oh." Fred paused for a moment. "Because you still have feelings for him?" He asked in, what he hoped was, a causal manner.

Hermione squinted at him slightly. "What? No. I mean – I don't know."

"So you _don't _have feelings for him?"

"I know did when I talked to you in that classroom. But recently…" Hermione trailed off, unsure of what to say next. Shaking her head, she added quietly, "I've loved Ron for five years, but part of me just wants to move on. I think I _have_ moved on. I'm sick of waiting for him." She sighed, running a hand through her curly hair and stared at the players zooming around the pitch. Katie scored this time and the Gryffindor cheers were deafening. Turning back to Fred, she asked with a slight smirk, "Why are you suddenly so interested?"

"You caught me – I'm secretly fascinated about the relationship status between you and my younger brother." Fred replied sarcastically.

"You brought it up!"

"It's nothing, I was just curious. I'm glad to hear that you're moving on," Fred added. He looked up and caught George's eye. George smirked and raised his eyebrows meaningfully before diving back into his conversation with Harry. Fred pulled a face at him before turning back to Hermione. Hermione had caught the face Fred was pulling and bit her lip to keep from laughing. "You caught that, did you?"

"Only a little bit. Charming."

"What can I say? I'm a charmer." Fred grinned, resting his arm behind Hermione and on the top of their seats. He looked smug.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's what _you_ think." Hermione suddenly looked down, as if she was internally debating whether or not to do something. Then, she scooted closer to Fred and rested her head on his shoulder. Fred's face split into a wide grin as he lowered his arm to wrap around her. Harry turned around and his mouth twitched to keeping from smiling before turning back to George. He jerked his head imperceptibly at Fred and Hermione and raised his eyebrows at George. George nodded and gestured he would tell Harry about it later. Harry chuckled to himself and continued asking George questions about business at the joke shop.

"I guess this solidifies your argument about being charming," Hermione sighed, gazing up at Fred. "I'll let you win this one."

Fred laughed and took her cold hand in his and twined their fingers together. "I'll take it," He replied. The two of them watched the rest of the Quidditch game peacefully as the chorus of _Weasley Is Our King_ rang out around them.


	5. Chapter 5

To the casual observer, nothing significant seemed to have transpired between Fred and Hermione. They were their usual selves for the most part, Hermione casting exasperated looks at Fred every so often and Fred teasing her or cracking jokes amongst their group. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fred, and George had been spending time together regularly whenever they could. The five of them would make frequent trips down to the Three Broomsticks (Umbridge was never there.), talking and joking with each other. Sometimes, George would bring Katie along with them and Harry would bring Cho. During trips like these, Harry wondered if Ron realized he was being the ultimate third wheel even while Fred and Hermione were being discreet about their affections for each other. Harry thought Ron had figured it out when he caught Fred looking at Hermione for a moment too long, but Ron had convinced himself it was nothing. After that particular trip, Harry had been on the verge of telling Ron about Fred and Hermione – he had a right to know – but Hermione had made him swear not to tell. Harry decided Hermione was right to keep it under wraps for the time being. He remembered being around Ron when Viktor was still around – he didn't want to imagine what Ron's reaction would be like when he found out that his older brother was with Hermione.

"More Butterbeer, Harry?" Cho's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Harry snapped out of his reverie. The five of them, plus Cho and Katie, were at their usual booth in The Three Broomsticks. It was an unusually cold spring day the Three Broomsticks was incredibly busy and lively with groups of students seeking protection from the cold.

"Sure," Harry replied, holding out his cup. Cho poured him his drink and turned so she could lean against him. Harry wrapped a long arm around Cho and took a sip of his Butterbeer and a warm sensation flooded his body. It had been a week since their row and Madame Puddifoot's, but Harry and Cho had been trying to work out their problems. Harry was glad that Cho had finally understood how hard it was for him to talk about Cedric. She also seemed much more relaxed and happy around him. This thought made Harry feel a rush of affection for his girlfriend and he kissed her cheek.

"…and then I told Pansy that if she ever used that spell on Marietta's robes again, I would be more than happy to repay the favor," Cho finished her story and Harry could her smiling as she talked after he had kissed her. She shifted and reached a hand to the back of Harry's head so he could bend down and kiss her properly.

"Oi, keep the snogging to a minimum," Ron exclaimed and pulled a face. "If you can't hold it in, at least have the common decency to mysteriously disappear from our booth every once in a while like George and Katie." Harry rolled his eyes, but pulled away from Cho anyway.

"Sorry, Ron," Cho replied, not looking sorry in the slightest.

"Just like you to be a git and spoil their fun," Fred chimed in, shaking his head. "Thank Merlin Ginny's good at hiding the things she does with her boyfriends or you might just try and hex all of them. And I don't think you would do so well one-on-one with Michael Corner."

"I could take Corner," Ron said confidently. Looking at the group of dubious faces he added, "Right?"

Hermione sighed maternally. "_Yes_, Ronald, you would hex Michael Corner into the next dimension. Happy?"

Ron took a smug sip of his Butterbeer. "Extremely."

"Are you going to do your Victory Dance for us?" George asked, snickering. Katie smacked his arm.

"Shut up," Ron snapped, his ears turning red. Fred caught George's eyes and the twins held back their laughter, choosing to drop the subject.

"Did you hear that some of the seventh years are planning a dance?" Katie changed the subject, shooting a vaguely annoyed look at George. She had obviously asked him not to bring Ron's victory dance up, knowing it would be a touchy subject.

"Really?" Hermione asked, leaning forward.

"Yes, it should be really fun. It's for fifth, sixth, and seventh years. We could all go if we somehow managed to sneak the twins in," Katie lowered her voice conspiratorially.

"Do you need to ask someone?" Ron shot a quick, nervous look at Hermione. Harry thought he saw Fred glance at Hermione as well after Ron asked the question. Hermione was looking resolutely at her half empty Butterbeer mug.

"You _can_," Katie said, looking strangely at Ron. "You don't have to, though. It's nowhere near as formal as the Yule Ball. A lot of students are just going in groups, which is what I thought we could do. It might be more fun that way."

"Yeah, definitely," Ron replied, looking relieved. Fred, on the other hand, was biting his lip and still casting sideways looks at Hermione. It looked as though he were keeping himself from asking her if she wanted to go with him on the spot. Hermione still refused to look at either of the Weasleys sitting next to her and quietly poured herself another glass of Butterbeer. Harry noticed Hermione turning a faint shade of pink, which made him realize she might not be completely oblivious to Ron and Fred's attention on her.

"Do you want to go with me, then?" Harry casually asked Cho, grinning.

She shrugged, playing along with his nonchalance. "Sure, why not? It's not like anyone better is going to ask me." A tinge of melancholy crept into her voice, but she quickly covered it up with a radiant smile. Harry held her closer, sensing Cho's changing mood.

"What about you? Do you want to go?" Katie asked, raising her eyebrows at George.

"Do I have a choice?" He teased her.

"Nope," Katie replied cheerfully.

"I guess it's settled, then," George sighed, shaking his head in mock resignation. Katie giggled and linked their hands together under the table, causing George to break his feigned sadness and smile. "And the three of you would make it 'going as a group', seeing as none of you are asking anyone," George added, trying to keep the irony out of his voice. He glanced at Harry, who bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"Sounds like a plan," Fred answered. His voice sounded a bit off and Ron turned to look at his brother, his brow furrowing. Ron seemed to be picking up on the intimacy between Fred and Hermione for the first time since they had started circling each other. He looked at Hermione, then back at Fred, then back to Hermione. The pair of them put on a great show of being puzzled by the awkward silence that had descended (Katie was trying to get George's attention nonverbally so they two of them could duck out if Ron figured out what was going on.) and Ron's behavior in general. Ron shook his head suddenly, dismissing whatever connections he was making in his mind. Harry realized that it was easier for Ron to convince himself that he was exaggerating things in his mind rather than facing the truth.

"George and I are going to get going," Katie announced. The pair of them slid out of their booth and shrugged on their coats. "He's going to help me with Professor Sprout's paper."

"See you," Harry replied, waving goodbye.

"Bye."

"See you at home, Georgie."

George and Katie waved silently and the two of them weaved their way through the crowed, before disappearing completely.

"Maybe we should head back too, Harry," Cho said, leaning away from him. "It's getting late." Harry hadn't realized how dark it was outside.

"You're right," He agreed, sliding out of the booth and making room so Cho could get out as well. "Let's go." Cho accompanied him at the other side of the table and linked their fingers together. Ron's head snapped up and he scooted out of his seat as well.

"Hold on, I'll come with you. It's getting dark out," He muttered and tied a thick woolen scarf around his neck. He didn't look at either Ron or Fred on his way out. Harry, Cho, and Ron made their way through the mass of people still in The Three Broomsticks and walked tiredly back to the castle, leaving Fred and Hermione alone at their booth.

"Well, that was awkward," Hermione remarked. "Ron was being so odd. You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Of course not," Fred replied stoutly, covering her hand with his on the table. "Do you want him to kill me? Besides, this…thing that's between us is really new. There's no use in telling him something that the both of us are still figuring out."

"He's not going to kill you," Hermione repeated for, what felt like, the millionth time. They had had this conversation several times before. "You're right. Of course, you're right. But, I still feel bad keeping things from Ron."

Fred took a deep breath. "Me too." He paused. "Don't tell him I said that."

Hermione laughed. "God forbid, he actually finds out that you _care_ about him."

"Us Weasley men aren't the sentimental, sharing-our-emotions type. You've known Ron for five years and you know what he's like with feelings. I'm surprised he hasn't confessed his undying love for you yet – he's driven George and me mad, talking about you." Fred grinned at Hermione and tugged her closer so she was leaning against him.

"…And back to being guilty," Hermione sighed, scrunching up her nose. "And a little flattered, to be honest," she admitted. "Still wrapping my head around the fact that he's felt that way for so long." Hermione absently wondered if she and Ron had gotten the timing right, she would have been leaning against Ron instead of Fred. She felt Fred quietly laugh next to her and she looked up at him, a small smile playing across her mouth. Fred looked down at her, a curious expression crossing his face. He brushed her brown curls from her face and she felt her skin warm under his hand as he cupped her cheek in his palm. He brought his face down to hers (Hermione briefly wondered if Butterbeer doubled as a breath mint) and kissed her softly. It was a short, chaste kiss, but Hermione felt her stomach dip all the way down to her toes. Fred broke away and Hermione, with her eyes still closed, fell forward and her eyes snapped open as Fred steadied her with his hands. "So that was…that was – that was…" Hermione took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts. Her brain had evaporated. She flopped against him and gave up on coherency, settling for saying once again, "That was." She said it as a statement this time, knowing she was making no sense.

"Being kissed suits you," Fred commented, chuckling at her reaction. Hermione looked up at him, realizing that she had given away her complete lack of experience in this arena. Suddenly, Fred seemed much older than her and she blushed, looking down. "Hey," Fred said softly, sensing her tension. "Do you want to go to that dance with me?" He asked her in a husky, low voice. Hermione beamed at Fred and nodded. He kissed her again, holding her face in between his large hands. Hermione felt her heart pounding against her ribcage, and as Fred drew her nearer, she was sure he could feel the steady rhythm of her heart against his chest.

"Does this mean we tell Ron and risk you getting murdered?" Hermione murmured against his lips.

Fred pulled away from her and grinned crookedly. "Eventually. We have plenty of time."


	6. Chapter 6

"_Hermione_, wake up!"

Hermione woke up to small hands shaking her awake. She blearily opened her eyes and saw Ginny's tearful and frightened face hovering over her. She sat straight up, fear shooting down to her stomach. "What is it?" She asked, her heart racing. "What's wrong?"

"It's Dad," Ginny replied in a shaky voice. "He's been – He's been attacked. Harry, Ron, Fred, and George back at Grimmauld Place with Sirius, waiting for some news." Tears silently streaked down Ginny's face and Hermione quickly got out of bed, pulled on a robe, and slipped on her shoes.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Hermione asked, putting an arm around her friend.

"I'm – well, we're going to go right now. McGonagall's asked Tonks to come and get us. She'll be here any minute." Ginny's voice had become mechanical and he eyes seemed to be unfocused. Suddenly, Tonks appeared in their room, holding a Portkey. This snapped Ginny back to herself and she got up and hugged Tonks.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry," She murmured, kissing the top of her head. Hermione felt icy drops of dread pool at the bottom of her stomach. She got up to join Ginny and Tonks drew her into a tight hug as well. "I know it's scary, but we've got to stay strong," She added softly. Wordlessly, she held the Portkey out for Ginny and Hermione to hold. The three of them disappeared from their dormitory and landed in Grimmauld Place. Ron, Fred, and George seemed to be immobilized, sitting statuesque around the blazing fireplace. Fred's eyes flickered up to Hermione, but he made no other move that acknowledged she was there. Ginny sat between Fred and George, still on the verge of tears. The twins rubbed her back as Sirius passed her a bottle of Butterbeer. Ginny took a sip and leaned her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. Hermione took the spot between Harry and Ron, taking both of their hands in hers. Harry had his head bowed and she heard Ron swallow thickly beside her. She wanted to say that everything would be all right, but found that the words dried up in her throat. She gave Ron's hand a tiny squeeze and she saw the corner of his mouth twitch up before dropping down again. The silence seemed to stretch on forever until an owl swooped into the house with a letter tied to its foot. George got up and read the letter quickly. A relieved, albeit tired, smile broke out on his face.

"Dad's all right for now," He sighed with relief. "We can visit him in the morning."

"For now?" Fred frowned. "That makes it sound like…"

"The important thing is that your father's all right," Sirius cut in, a large grin gracing his features for the first time in months. "Let's all get some sleep and we can visit Arthur in a few hours." The Weasleys trudged to their rooms. Hermione sat on the couch with Harry, who hadn't moved.

"Harry, Mr. Weasley is going to be all right," Hermione reassured him quietly. "Sirius is right, we should get some sleep."

Harry lifted his head his expression was in between relieved and guilty. "I know, I just need to talk to Sirius about something," He admitted. His thoughts flashed back to his dream, remembering how it felt for hi—the snake, to sink its teeth into Mr. Weasley's flesh. Sirius looked up curiously from the table he was cleaning up, but said nothing. "I'll see you in the morning, Hermione." Hermione looked at him, puzzled, but went to her room. She flopped onto her bed and instantly fell asleep.

oOoOoOo

"Well, well," Arthur Weasley looked around at the group surrounding his bed. "I hadn't expected so many visitors," he joked lightly. Molly Weasley was the closest to Arthur and was clasping his hand in hers. He looked pale and thinner than normal, but seemed to be in good spirits. "I'm fine, really. No need to look like I'm about to snuff out at any second." He raised his eyebrows at his children meaningfully. They gave half-hearted smiles to thinly mask their concern. "You're going to have to do better than that," Mr. Weasley looked at Ginny, who took a deep breath before grinning convincingly at her father and hugging him. Mr. Weasley winced slightly, but wrapped his uninjured hand around her. Ginny sniffed slightly and pulled away and stood by Mrs. Weasley who stroked her hair lightly.

"We're glad you're all right, Dad," Fred replied, his voice a littler tighter than normal, but his expression was normal.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Harry," Mr. Weasley said, nodding in Harry's direction. Hermione looked at Harry and he had the same odd expression on his face as last night. "Thank you, Harry. I owe you my life."

"Don't mention it," Harry replied, turning red but beaming at Mr. Weasley all the same. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"Dad, we got you something from a Muggle store in London," Ron finally chimed in. He looked like he was struggling to keep his composure. He fished in his pocket and produced a small pocket watch and a small box of chocolates. Mr. Weasley grinned at his son, hugging him after Ron placed the items on the table next to his bed. Mr. Weasley released a rather pink-faced Ron and Ron sidled back next to Hermione and Harry.

"Thank you. All of you," Mr. Weasley responded, smiling. Mrs. Weasley had brushed a tear from her eye.

"All right, Arthur, Sirius, and I have to discuss some Order business," Mrs. Weasley said to the group of teenagers, her business-like tone suddenly quavering. "After that, we'll leave. Your father needs his rest." She added, looking pointedly at Fred and George who looked as though they were about to protest. Clamping their mouths shut, Fred and George bid their father goodbye and were quickly followed by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They sat down in the waiting room, sipping the tea laid out for them quietly.

"So, how did you know, Harry?" Fred asked the question that was on everyone's mind. Ron and Harry exchanged a look, which wasn't lost on Hermione. What as Harry not telling her?

"I saw it in my dream. I was dreaming that Voldemort's snake was attacking Mr. Weasley. Ron saw my thrashing around in my bed and he woke me up and that's when I told him."

"Thank Merlin you _did_, mate," Ron said. "Who know what would have happened if…"

"There's no use talking like that," Hermione cut in, her voice tight. "Sirius is right, the important thing to remember is that your dad is all right." She looked at Fred who was munching on a biscuit. He caught her eye and gave her a half-smile and finished the last part of his biscuit. "I heard that Sirius and Mrs. Weasley are having a party for Mr. Weasley's homecoming."

"Knowing Mum, she'll start baking a cake and cooking as soon as we get home to keep herself busy," Ginny said. "And I'll be the one roped in to help because these three –" Ginny gestured at her brothers – "would have all mysteriously disappeared." They all laughed, feeling lighter than they had in the past two days. Mrs. Weasley and Sirius walked out of Mr. Weasley's room and all of them joined hands and Disapparated. Harry, Ron, and Hermione swayed a bit unsteadily on their feet (Hermione could have sworn she saw Fred smirking at her lack of balance.) when they landed in the Burrow.

"Arthur is going to be home at the end of the day," Mrs. Weasley announced and the little tension left between everyone evaporated. "I'll need help cleaning up before the party, obviously. "Fred, George, start de-gnoming the backyard. Ginny will help me in the kitchen and you three can start cleaning up the rooms," Mrs. Weasley assigned in a business-like manner. The lot of them trudged off to do their respective tasks. Ginny turned and mouthed _What did I tell you_ to Harry, who bit his lip to keep from laughing. Harry, Ron and Hermione busied themselves with cleaning the dining room, living room, and their bedrooms. After a while, there was a loud bang from Hermione's bedroom and she emerged from the doorway, covered in soot. Ron and Harry hurried from their bedrooms to investigate the sound of the noise.

"You found another one of Fred and George's inventions, then?" Ron asked, plainly trying not to laugh as Hermione attempted to wash off the soot from her arms and face.

"At least it comes off," Hermione reminded him, scrubbing her elbow particularly viciously. "Honestly, why don't they leave their stuff in more conspicuous places?" She sighed with frustration.

"I don't think they remember where they keep half of them," Ron answered honestly.

"I hear them coming upstairs. They probably heard the noise," Harry chimed in, trying to arrange his face so he wouldn't be laughing at Hermione as well. Two pairs of feet came thumping up the stairs and Fred and George reached the three of them.

"We heard a noise that sounded like one of our Detonating Donuts," George explained, looking over Harry and Ron to see what had caused the commotion. When he saw Hermione covered in black powder, he pressed his lips together to keep from laughing and nudged his twin. Fred looked over George's shoulder and let out belly laughs, clutching the wall for support. Hermione narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

"I…I c-c-an't believe this happened for the s-s-econd time this year," Fred exclaimed between laughs. "I-I'm sorry…Hermione," Fred took deep breaths in and wiped tears from his eyes. Harry and Ron were careful not to make eye contact with each other or George, seeing as the three of them were on the verge of giving into their laughter as well. Fred finally sobered up and repeated, "I'm sorry. We're sorry. Really."

Hermione pulled a face at him but said, "It's ok. I should know better than to be surprised by now." Fred grinned and moved forward and hugged Hermione. Ron looked at him oddly. "Now you're going to be covered in soot!" She pointed out, pushing him away and shooting a small warning glance at Ron. Fred shrugged and vacuumed the rest of the soot off with his wand. Hermione looked down at herself, pleased with her clean outfit. "Thanks," She said, beaming at him.

"It's the least I can do," Fred replied, smiling.

"FRED! GEORGE! The garden isn't going to de-gnome itself," Mrs. Weasley called from downstairs. Grimacing dramatically, the twins made their way downstairs to the garden.

"So," Ron said, pausing slightly, "You and Fred seem to be getting along quite well."

"Yes, I suppose," Hermione said noncommittally. Shifting uncomfortably in between them, Harry suddenly decided that his energies were better spent finishing up cleaning his room. He walked back into his room, hoping the awkwardness would subside in the corridor.

There were a few more moments of awkward silence, when Harry overheard Ron asking, "So has anyone asked you to the dance at the end of the year?"

"I thought we were going as a group," Hermione lied, side-stepping the issue of Fred. "Right?"

"Right," Ron said awkwardly. "It's just that Harry and George have dates, so I thought, well, maybe you and I should go." Harry scrubbed the dresser more vigorously, hoping to drown out the rest of the conversation.

Hermione bit her lip, unable to think of a way to not tell Ron she was going with Fred. "Ron, I'm sorry, but someone's already asked me," Hermione said slowly. It was their fourth year all over again.

Ron seemed to register that coincidence and he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who?" He seemed to know the answer before she said it.

"Fred."

"_Fred_? Fred asked you?" Ron asked, more hurt than incredulous.

"He asked me at Hogsmeade a few days ago," Hermione replied softly, gauging Ron's reaction.

"And you said 'yes'," Ron stated coldly.

"Yes," Hermione said in the same soft tone.

"You are unbelievable." The cold fury in Ron's voice startled Hermione. "How could you do this to me, Hermione?"

"_Me_? Ron, it's been five years. I can't wait for you forever."

"With my own _brother_? Ron stopped suddenly, straightening up. "I'm going to _kill_ Fred, I can't believe –" He didn't even finish his sentence as he whirled away from Hermione and ran down the steps, his expression thunderous.

"Ron, it's not his fault!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry emerged from his room and Hermione cast a helpless look at him. The two of them rushed down the stairs to find Ron in the garden, red-faced, breathing hard and shaking his injured hand. Fred was holding his nose and looking up, trying to keep the bleeding to a minimum.

"Ron, you git, what the _hell_ are did you punch him for?" George growled at his younger brother. Hermione rushed into the garden, Harry a few paces behind her, and went see if Fred was all right.

"Are you ok?" Hermione asked him, looking at Fred's nose worriedly. She pulled out her wand and calmly said, "_Episkey_." George gave a short yell of pain, but his nose jerked into its original position and stopped bleeding.

"He asked her to go to that bloody dance with him, when he _knew_ how I –" Ron cut himself off, glaring at Fred. "I knew it. I knew something was going on with you two."

"Ron, maybe you should calm down," Harry muttered, trying to steer Ron out of the garden. "Now's not really the right time to –"

"So what if there is?" Fred shouted, his facing turning the same shade as his hair. "You don't _own_ Hermione, Ron. She's not your girlfriend."

Ron turned to look at Fred, hands shaking with anger. "I told you how I felt about her. You betrayed me."

"Ron, you've had _years_ to tell Hermione how you feel. What is she supposed to do? Wait around for you?"

Ron tried to lunge at his brother, but Harry held him back,

"Ron, stop, just stop," Harry muttered, pushing Ron back. "Let's just talk about this when everyone has cooled off," Harry addressed everyone, not wanting Ron to sucker punch anyone else. Ron glared at him and Harry suddenly feared for the safety of his own nose. Ron seemed to deflate as he took in the situation. He shrugged off Harry's restraining arm and headed into the house, slamming the mesh door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

The inside of the Burrow had exploded into celebration over Mr. Weasley's return home. He good-naturedly endured the party hat snapped onto his head and tried not to wince too much as many hands clapped him on the back or shook his uninjured one. All of them settled around the long dining table as Mrs. Weasley plopped down an immense cake in front of them. Mr. Weasley beamed up at Mrs. Weasley, thanking her for the cake and began divvying up slice among the group. Sirius, Lupin, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye had come down to celebrate and everyone was so happy that it was almost impossible to sense the leftover tension from the garden. At times, Harry thought Mr. Weasley caught something was wrong. He had looked quizzically at Harry, covertly jerking his head to the side to point out the twins' and Ron's stiff posture. Through ridiculous bad luck, they had all been squished into three spots next to each other. They were valiantly attempting to act like nothing was wrong, but Harry knew Mr. Weasley wasn't buying their forced, polite conversation. Harry had shaken his head at Mr. Weasley and gave an appropriately confused look.

"Hermione, dear, would you pass me that plate?" Mrs. Weasley asked distractedly as she placed a second piece of cake onto George's plate.

"Yes, of course," Hermione replied, leaning over Harry to reach Mrs. Weasley. She looked involuntarily at the other side of the table. Ron caught her eye and he hastily looked down, ears rapidly turning red. Harry felt a pang of sympathy for his best friend – he knew Ron wanted to tell Hermione how he felt on his own terms. The scene in the garden was a less than ideal way for Hermione to find out about Ron's feelings for her. Harry also remembered how he felt when Cho rejected him for Cedric when he asked her to the Yule Ball. Harry felt a twist in his gut. He knew that Fred had a point – Ron didn't own Hermione. At the same time, Harry knew that Fred could have handled the situation better, even if Ron had just punched him in the nose. Harry sighed, fluttering the napkin on the table. Hermione copied him, making him smile a little.

"How are you holding up?" He asked her, glancing sideways.

"I've been better," Hermione replied honestly. "Just waiting for this whole thing to blow over."

"Maybe you should talk to Ron. Or Fred," Harry suggested. "He seems to be taking it pretty hard."

Hermione nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. After the party, of course. I wouldn't want to spoil the evening."

"That's smart," Harry agreed.

"Well, I am the brightest witch of our age," Hermione quipped, grinning mischievously. Harry laughed.

"I know, I should be used to it by now," Harry replied, grinning back. Hermione and Harry's light conversation made the party much more bearable. At times, Harry even forgot about his dream and the slight twinge of guilt he felt every time he looked at Mr. Weasley's bandaged arm. Sirius had reassured Harry when he had confided in him his fear of becoming more like Voldemort.

"_I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry," He said. "You're not a bad person. You're a very, very good person who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."_

"Harry? Are you coming?" Hermione turned around as got up from her seat. Harry was snapped out of his thoughts and saw most of the people had cleared out from the dining room and were headed outside to climb up the hill. "Mrs. Weasley said it was far too nice outside to not eat the cake outdoors," Hermione explained, recognizing Harry's confused expression. "So, we're going to have a little picnic on the hill."

"Sure, I'm coming," Harry replied, looking past Hermione and up at the hill. Ron was trudging up the hill with George, talking quietly. Ron seemed to have calmed down a bit and decided that he could at least be civil with George. With a small smile, he walked out of the Burrow with Hermione, enjoying the crisp night air. The two walked in amiable silence a good distance behind the rest of the group. As they got higher, the inky black sky seemed to expand around them and swirl with different constellations. Hermione absently pointed out a few of them that she recognized. "That one kind of looks like the Sorting Hat," Harry chimed in, pointing at a cluster of starts. Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes before conceding that yes, it did in fact look like the Sorting Hat. The rest of the group had settled on top of the hill and were now eating more cake. Harry realized that there probably wouldn't be any left by the time the pair of them got there. He looked at Hermione's peaceful, happy face and decided it was worth it.

"Mind if I steal Ms. Granger away for a moment, Harry?" Fred had suddenly appeared behind them, making Hermione and Harry jump. He grinned looking at their surprised expressions.

"Merlin's pants! You nearly gave me a heart attack, Fred Weasley!" Hermione gasped, her small hands smacking his torso and arms. Fred quickly stopped her attack by grabbing her hands and twisting her around so she was leaning with her back against him. Hermione scrunched up her face in frustration and tried to break free. Fred was laughing behind her. Glaring at Harry, she asked, "Well? Are you going to stand there or help me?"

Harry bit back a laugh. "She's all yours, Fred," He replied, mock-saluting him. Hermione glowered at him, still trying to get free. "You can kill me later, Hermione." Harry raced up the hill to join the rest of the group, chuckling at Hermione's protests behind him.

oOoOoOo

"Completely…unfair!" Hermione muttered breathless protests, still struggling against Fred's grip. "Why are you so much stronger than me?" She sighed, resigning herself to the fact that her efforts were useless. She discovered she rather liked leaning against him. Besides, he was warm and she was already chilly from the night air.

"I play Quidditch and I'm a guy," Fred stated flatly. "I'm glad you've given up trying to escape. It was completely spoiling the mood."

"Fred Weasley, a romantic? Who would have thought?" Hermione asked, smirking.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Shut up," He said lightly. He released his grip on her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm your girlfriend, you can't tell me to 'shut up'," Hermione teased him.

"Girlfriend? Really?" Fred teased her back. "I was under the impression that you were using me to cool down your pesky teenage hormones."

"Mean!" Hermione complained, smacking him again. Hermione felt him wince dramatically and she grinned. "Fine, then. I'm not your girlfriend. You can go out and shag all of Hogwarts for all I care."

"Sounds good," Fred replied, his voice shaking with suppressed laughter. "I've had my eye on Angelina for a while now…"

"You are evil."

"You said I could!" Fred reminded her jokingly. "Besides, you're pretty adorable when you're jealous," He admitted, hugging Hermione closer to him. He felt Hermione become warm with pleasure.

"If you're not careful, you might get punched twice today. I've got a mean right hook," Hermione replied, her words at odds with her body language. She rested her head on Fred's shoulder.

"I know. A little bird told me you got Malfoy pretty good two years ago. I would have paid to see that."

Hermione sighed happily at the memory. "Third year was good."

"Except for the dementors nearly sucking out everyone's soul every once in a while, you mean."

"Well, yeah. There's that. But other than ridiculously scary creatures waltzing around Hogwarts, it was a good year."

"I just pictured a dementor ballroom dancing. Thanks for that."

"Remember Professor McGonagall demonstrating how to dance with Ron last year?" Hermione asked, laughing so hard she snorted.

Fred grinned and added reminiscently, "George and I took the mickey out on him for a whole summer."

Hermione sighed, sobering up. "You need to talk to Ron."

"That prat punched me, I'm not saying anything to him."

"Fred."

Fred turned Hermione around so he could look at her face. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Fine, I'll talk to him. If I end up with a black eye, I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough," Hermione responded, unable to keep a grin from her face. He looked especially handsome in the moonlight. His brown eyes were illuminated by the moonlight and the faint light highlighted his cheekbones and strong jaw. He was much taller than her, but she had always liked that. It made her feel safe.

"What?" He asked a little uncomfortably, scrutinizing her expression. Hermione realized she had been staring.

"Nothing," Hermione lied quickly, blushing and turning away.

"Not buying it." Hermione heard Fred's amused voice behind her. Fred walked in front of Hermione to face. He tipped her face up so she was looking at him. "Come on, tell me."

"Mmmm, no," Hermione replied, scrunching her nose at him playfully.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to think of a way to persuade you."

Hermione rolled her eyes and smirked. "Good luck with that."

"Not going to need any," Fred replied quietly, slipping two hands around her face and bringing her face to his.

oOoOoOo

"Where did you two get off to?" Ginny asked archly, smirking at her brother and Hermione. Fred and Hermione had just walked into the Burrow through the backdoor. They looked presentable enough, but Ginny was eerily perceptive. Hermione also had a few twigs stuck in her hair from when they had bumped into a tree. _Worth it_, Fred thought.

"Nothi – nowhere," Hermione squeaked, brilliantly red in the face. Fred rolled his eyes and glared at his sister. Ginny's smirk broadened into a cat-like grin.

"Well, this explains Ron's foul mood," She said dispassionately. "You might want to talk to him."

"Yeah, we've discussed that," Fred replied, irritated.

"Looks like there wasn't much 'discussing' going on."

"Drop it, Ginny." There was a definite edge to Fred's voice and Hermione continued to turn a brighter shade of scarlet.

"Fine then," Ginny sighed, tossing the book she was reading to the side and getting up from the sofa. "There's some cake left on the table. Don't make a mess."

"You're starting to sound like Mum," Fred said, grimacing.

"Oh, shut up. See you upstairs, 'Mione." Ginny floated out of the living room, a supremely smug look on her face as she glanced at the two of them.

"Cake sounds good," Hermione admitted and the two of them made their way to the dining table.

"Making a mess sounds even better," Fred replied, winking at Hermione. He fished out two plates from a cupboard and plopped to pieces of cake on to them. Hermione and Fred chewed for a while in silence. "You're a really horrible liar, you know that?" Fred remarked as a sardonic smile spread across his face.

"That's not fair, I was being _persuaded_ by a certain someone to tell him something," Hermione said, finishing up her cake. "I didn't have time to collect my thoughts."

"I'm surprised that you, Harry, and Ron have managed not to get caught doing whatever you three get up to all these year," Fred continued, shaking his head and smiling.

"Well, my thoughts are much less scattered around Harry and Ron," Hermione replied, putting her dish in the sink.

"Done already?" Fred asked and joined her by the sink. There was still a quarter piece of cake left on his place. "I was serious about making a mess in the kitchen," He added in a low voice, scooping a bit of icing off the top and plopped on top of Hermione's nose. After a beat, he sucked the small white drop off and kissed the tip of her nose. Fred looked down at her and Hermione had her eyes closed and her hands were clenched onto the edge of the counter. Fred's eyes darkened and he kissed Hermione deeply. She sighed into his mouth and brought her hand around his neck and into his hair. Fred wrapped his arms around her tightly and slipped his hand under her shirt. Hermione's fingers curled in hair. Suddenly, she broke away and put a hand on his chest, breathing heavily.

"Wait," She murmured, her eyes still closed.

"What?" Fred asked impatiently, bending closer to her again. Hermione leaned back from him. He opened his eyes, staring at her hazily. "What's wrong?"

"We should…we should talk to Ron before anything else happens," Hermione said quietly. Fred pulled away from her with effort and nodded.

"You're right," Fred sighed, breathing heavily as well. Clearing his throat, he repeated, "You're right, of course you're right. "

"Well then," Hermione said quietly, eyes twinkling, "Good night, Mr. Weasley." She stood up on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. Fred grinned and pressed his lips to her hand.

"Good night, Ms. Granger."


	8. Chapter 8

Fred trudged up the second flight of stairs to his room. He could have just Apparated and saved himself the trouble of being incredibly winded, but he was feeling quite lightheaded after he left the kitchen (Blood didn't seem to rush to his brain when it came to Hermione). Involuntarily, he replayed moments of that night in his mind.

"Aunt Muriel's back fat, Aunt Muriel's back fat, Aunt Muriel's back fat," Fred chanted to himself. A cold shower at this hour was definitely out of the question. Then again, he may not have a choice if Hermione kept popping into his head at inopportune moments. He stopped at the landing on the floor where Hermione and Ginny were presumably asleep. He was sorely tempted to walk into their room and sneak Hermione back into his room, but he knew that was a bad idea. George would never let him live it down and neither would Ginny. Hermione had it made it clear that nothing else could happen between them if Fred didn't work things out with Ron. Fred sighed and glanced wistfully at the closed door before climbing up the last flight of stairs. As soon as Fred reached the landing where is bedroom, Ron walked out of his room on cue. Momentarily surprised by their timing, Fred decided that now was as good a time as any to talk to his little brother. Fred didn't know if it was the late hour that was making the awkwardness between them exacerbated, but he tried to ignore the almighty glower Ron was giving him and speak reasonably.

"Hey, Ron," Fred began awkwardly, unsure of what to say. What does someone say in a situation like this? _Hey, Ron. You know that girl you've been in love with for five years? We've been snogging for the past few weeks and want to make sure you're ok with it. _

"Hi," Ron said, trading his glower for a wary look at Fred. He suddenly looked very small to Fred in his pajamas. Fred felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach.

Taking a deep breath, Fred decided to plough on resolutely. "About earlier, in the garden –"

"I got to take a leak," Ron muttered darkly, cutting off Fred. He pushed past his brother and headed inside their shared bathroom. He slammed the door behind him.

Fred sighed. "Come on, Ron. Let's just talk about it and go back to normal," He said tiredly. No answer. "I knowing you're not really taking a leak in there. You used to do this all the time to escape George and I when we wanted to dye your hair blue when you were seven. Remember when Mum thought you had a serious digestive problem when you stayed in there for two hours?" Fred asked, leaning against the bathroom wall and hoping to illicit a reaction. Still no answer. Seriously irritated this time, Fred knocked on the door crossly. "For Merlin's sake, stop acting like Moaning Myrtle and come out here." Fred nearly fell backwards on top of Ron as the bathroom door opened behind him.

"I was actually taking a piss in there," Ron growled. "Next time _you_ go in to do your business, I'll just stand outside the door and call you Moaning Myrtle."

Undeterred, Fred tried again. "About Hermione –"

"I don't want to talk to you about Hermione," Ron said flatly. He wore the same deflated look he had when he realized what he had done in the garden. After a moment, Ron added sincerely. "I'm sorry I punched you, Fred."

"It's forgotten," Fred replied easily. "I really do care about her," Fred added quietly. Ron's face contorted oddly, then smoothed back to Ron's original expression.

"Still don't want to talk about it," Ron replied, his demeanor a bit less hostile than before. "Not for a while, anyway." Fred did his best not to glare exasperatedly at Ron. He was making this much more difficult than it had to be. His mind flickered back to Hermione's warm back under his palm. Fred forced himself back into the present – thinking about Hermione _that_ way in front of Ron would make the current situation more uncomfortable than it already was. He noticed Ron looking at him curiously and quickly composed his face. Shaking his head, Ron went back into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"We're going to have to talk about it eventually," Fred called from outside the door awkwardly. After a few moments of silence, Fred headed to his room and crawled under the covers of his bed. Attempt number one didn't go as badly as he thought it would have. Now, all he had to do was wait out Ron. Fred punched his pillow into a more comfortable position and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Fred woke up to a pillow hitting him in the face.

"Wake up," George's voice was annoying chipper in the morning. "They're going to leave for Hogwarts soon and we need to start setting up our shop."

Fred glanced blearily at watch. He groaned. "It's eight-thirty in the morning," He complained and rolled over onto his opposite side.

"Come on, " George said, shaking his brother slightly. "I've been trying to get you up for an hour. Mum wants us down for breakfast in ten minutes." George walked out of the bedroom, leaving the bedroom door slightly ajar in order to tempt Fred to get out of bad with the smell of fresh bacon and pancakes. George's footsteps clattered noisily down the stairs and Fred finally opened his eyes with irritation. He changed quickly, brushed his teeth, and attempted to flatten his bed hair to no avail. Sighing, he Apparated to the kitchen, making Mrs. Weasley jump and almost flip the pancake she was making onto his face.

"Just because you can do magic now _does not_ mean you need to whip your wand out for everything, Fred Weasley," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed and flipped the last pancake onto a plate for Fred. She sighed and plopped a pile of scrambled eggs and four strips of bacon onto his plate as well before handing it him.

"Thanks, Mum," He said, grinning and taking his usual place beside George. "I'm going to miss Mum's cooking when we move into our own flat," Fred muttered in undertone to George. George nodded, but said nothing because his mouth was already full with his omelet. They still hadn't figured out how to break the news that they were hoping to move out of the Burrow by the end of the month to Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley had known about their apartment hunt for a while now and promised to say nothing to Mrs. Weasley as long as the boys promised to tell her within the next couple weeks. Fred and George had found a couple of good places after a couple months of going out to Diagon Alley and scouring for a flat. They had even put down a deposit on a place that would be perfect for the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop that had an attached apartment above it.

"Mum's going to be hurt that we didn't tell her sooner," George sighed.

"Tell me what sooner?" Mrs. Weasley turned around and narrowed her eyes at the pair of them.

"Nothing, Mum. Don't worry about it," Fred waved off her question casually. Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to question them some more, but was suddenly distracted by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny bursting into the kitchen. Fred flashed a grin at Hermione who smiled back and turned a faint pink. Mrs. Weasley served them their breakfast, piling on mounds of food onto their plates. Hermione eyes her pile of scrambled eggs warily as it swayed precariously on her plate. The four of them sat at the table with Fred and George. They were joined by Mr. Weasley and were graced with a surprise visit from Bill.

"I'll take some of that, Hermione," Ginny said in an amused voice, scooping some of the scrambled eggs off of Hermione's plate and plopping it onto her own tower of food.

Hermione laughed. "Thanks."

"…Chudley Cannons are at the bottom of the league _again_. Honestly, the only way they'd win a game is if they swapped all the players on their team and drank a cauldron of Felix Felicis," Bill remarked to Ron, shaking his head.

"They're really that bad?" Harry asked, munching on a strip of bacon.

"They're abysmal," Ron added sadly. "That Appelby Arrows game still stings. Even Michael Corner would be a better Seeker than Gudgeon."

"_Would you lay off him_?" Ginny snapped, pausing her conversation with Hermione momentarily.

Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm your older brother. I'm allowed to hate him." Fred saw Hermione shoot Ron a familiar exasperated look.

"Fred and George don't –"

"Oh, but we do," George chimed in.

"When we caught you two snogging in that classroom, we _may_ have rigged a pile of Dungbombs to blow up in his room," Fred added, relishing the memory.

"_You_ did that? He told me he thought Peeves had –"

"Snogging? Who's snogging?" Mrs. Weasley raised her voice, scrutinizing the table. There was an awkward silence.

"No one, Mum. You know Fred and George, they were just kidding around," Ginny said easily. Fred had a proud expression on his face as he gave Ginny a thumbs up behind Mrs. Weasley's back.

"Yep, we're being kidders," George chimed in.

"We love to kid," Fred added.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Mr. Weasley who clearly shot her a look saying _the-less-we-know-the-better_. Mrs. Weasley turned back to her cooking with a disgruntled expression.

"Well, we better be off," Mr. Weasley announced, glancing at his watch. "Minerva is expecting us in a few minutes."

"Goodbye," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging each of them who were leaving tightly. "Be safe." Her eyes flickered to Harry for a moment and he gave her a small smile.

"We'll try," He joked.

"Wait!" Fred cried suddenly, rummaging in his pocket. He produced a small box. "We've been wanting to test these out, so if you know of any worth candidate, you can slip any of these into that bow-wearing toad's tea."

"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley frowned at her son.

"Thanks, Fred." Harry grinned.

"Don't mention it. Besides, seeing as George and I aren't there to give her hell, the three of you might as well give it a go," Fred replied, grinning back.

"Don't forget to tell people about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" George called from the table, finishing up the last of his pancake.

"George!" Mrs. Weasley said disapprovingly, another frown wrinkling her brow.

"What? It's not like I'm asking Harry to slip something into a Ministry official's _tea_," George retorted. Turning to Fred, he added, "That's bloody brilliant, by the way." Fred bowed with exaggerated formality making most of the room laugh. Bill and George joined the rest of the group to say their goodbyes. Fred, George, and Bill all crushed Ginny in a group hug and lifted her a few inches off the floor.

"Not..five…years..old…anymore!" She laughed breathlessly, wriggling in their grip. The three of them grinned and put her down.

"See you, Ron, Harry, Hermione. I've got to get to work," Bill clapped Harry and Ron's backs and hugged Hermione. They waved him goodbye as he Apparated back to Gringotts. Fred turned to face Ron.

"Let me know if you need an Dungbombs put in Corner's room," Fred said half-jokingly to Ron. Ron cracked a smile.

"Yeah, I will. See you around, Fred."

"Don't get in too much trouble, ickle Ronniekins," George added, smirking.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

Fred finally scooped up Hermione in a hug. "I'll see you soon."

Hermione smiled. "I don't doubt it."

Fred and George stepped away from Mr. Weasley, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny as Mr. Weasley produced a Portkey from his pocket. He held it out in front of him and all of them grasped it firmly. Suddenly the five of them disappeared from the Burrow and appeared in Professor McGonagall's office.


End file.
